'When I have my period I'm not allowed to … ': girls in Nepal share their photo diaries – in pictures

To mark menstrual hygiene day on Saturday, WaterAid gave cameras to girls in the Sindhuli district in south-east Nepal to document the restrictions imposed on them during their period. From not being allowed to touch flowers or fruit, to having to eat away from their families and stay elsewhere, here are some of the images they took

Bandana: ‘My parents didn’t allow me to go to school during my first menstruation. But I wanted to go to school so badly. I had stayed at other [people’s] house and school was very far from where I stayed. I had to miss out on so many classes and many subjects and that started hindering my usual study routine. I would like to make an appeal that we should be allowed to go to school during our first menstruation’

Bandana: ‘I enjoy this place very much. It takes half an hour to reach this place from my home. When I had my first menstruation my mother … told me I would get demons inside me if I crossed the river, but I feel this is one among many superstitions that we have in our society related to menstruation. ‘During my other menstrual cycles I crossed the river without hesitation, I even bathed. During these times, nothing happened to me. That’s why I feel these restrictions are wrong! I think we should change these kinds of belief

Bandana: ‘This is my sister. Her name is Bipisha. I love her very much. She also loves me very much. We love playing football during our holidays. ‘When I had my first menstruation, I wasn’t allowed to touch pickles. I was told that if I touched them, the pickles would start to rot. But I thought that was not possible so, I touched the bottles of pickles when nobody was around. And nothing happened to the bottles with pickles. It never decayed or ever smelled bad. After that I realised that not touching pickles during menstruation was nothing but superstition and it is wrong’

Rita: ‘This is my kitchen garden … My brother Ujjwol is [on the right] and my sister Debika is plucking tomatoes. I don’t go to the kitchen garden during my periods because there is a social belief that I should not touch flowers, tomatoes and fruit plants. If touched, the plants will die. I believe this is wrong. If the plants die after being touched by menstruating girls then all the plants in this world will die’

Bandana: ‘This is the mirror I use. I like to comb my hair, put on lipstick, kajal [eyeliner], and bindi while still looking at my mirror. When I had my first menstruation, my mother didn’t allow me to look into the mirror. There’s a common belief in our society that girls shouldn’t look at themselves in the mirror during their first menstruation because it is a bad omen. ‘I looked at myself in the mirror only after two days. After I looked at myself, nothing wrong happened to me so I feel it is not nice to restrict us from looking into mirrors’

Bandana: ‘This is my sister. Her name is Banchana Khadka. She is trimming her nails because she likes to focus on her personal hygiene. If we do not trim our nails, we are prone to various diseases. And if we suffer from diseases then we become unhealthy. ‘When I had my first menstruation my mother never allowed me to trim my nails. Despite restrictions, I still trimmed my nails and nothing happened to me. I think not being allowed to trim nails during your menstruation is just a superstition that exists in our society’

Bisheshtra: ‘This photo is of my mum and me. My mum’s name is Bimala Pokharel. During menstruation, my mum helps me a lot …‘[When we are menstruating], there are social beliefs, like we are not allowed to touch male members of the family. We are not supposed to drink cow’s milk. We should not see the sun’s rays. But my mum allowed me to drink cow’s milk, and also allowed me to stay in the sun. My mum does not restrict me like my other friends [are restricted] ... My mum gives me fruits to eat as well. I feel as if my mum is my friend’

Manisha: ‘I stayed at another [person’s] house during my first menstruation. During that time I wasn’t allowed to go to school. I wanted to go to school so badly, I wanted to read. But I was forbidden. I was unaware about so many aspects related to menstruation. I did what my parents said to me. ‘Looking back … I understand many things now. It was a wrong belief that we shouldn’t study during the time of menstruation. I believe young girls like us need more education and awareness, especially during our first time. If we are given proper awareness … we are likely to focus more on cleanliness’

Sabina: ‘In this photo my mom is cutting papaya. In our community, there is a belief that during menstruation we should not eat papaya but I like papaya very much. Even if I want I cannot eat papaya during my periods. ‘Papaya is a nutritious fruit. During menstruation, we are told not only not to eat papaya but also not to touch papaya trees. During menstruation, adolescent girls should eat even more fruits and vegetables to keep the body strong and healthy’

Manisha: ‘I took this picture when my aunt was fetching water. Water is very important for our body and for our existence. Water is essential for every living organism. Similarly, water is important for cleanliness as well. ‘During menstruation … we are not allowed to touch water if another person is fetching water. I have to wait in line for my turn. By the time we reach home it’s already dark and sometimes it is even difficult to complete our homework in the darkness. I feel helpless and I feel as if my hands are tied. During these times I want to strongly revolt against such biased beliefs’

Manisha: ‘This is the picture of the stream where I bathe and clean my pads. In this picture there is a stack of pads that I use and I took this picture sometime before I started washing them. During our menstrual cycle it’s very embarrassing for us to wash our used pads out in a public place – hence, we find the nearest corners and isolated streams to clean our pads and wash ourselves’

Rita: ‘[There are] social taboos [during] menstruation, like we should not touch brothers, uncles and any other males, should not eat papaya, should not touch drinking water, should not touch fruits and if touched they will decay. We can eliminate such taboos through education’